1. Field of the Invention
The present invention relates to compounds and methods for masking or decreasing the or one or a plurality of unpleasant olfactory impressions of one or a plurality of substances with an unpleasant odor, and compounds and methods for enhancing one or more pleasant olfactory impressions of one more substances with a pleasant odor.
2. Description of Related Art
Basically the perfume industry has a constant need to intensify (accentuate/enhance) the pleasant olfactory aspects of fragrances and to mask or decrease unpleasant olfactory aspects. Flowery fragrances in particular, that is to say fragrances with a flowery note, play an important role in perfumery. Here it is desired on the one hand to particularly accentuate the natural freshness and/or radiance and on the other to suppress the fatty, metallic and/or technical notes.
The reduction of unpleasant odors is in particular a problem that is difficult to deal with and solve in perfume/composition terms. Above all, the particular nature of an unpleasant odor in each case strictly limits the application possibilities. Frequently a reduction in unpleasant odors can at best be achieved by combining with a specially developed perfume oil, which has its own specific type of scent. Here the unpleasant olfactory impressions are frequently merely covered up using the aromatic odor of a(nother) substance.
Of considerable advantage, therefore, are substances or materials, that are able to decrease the intensity of unpleasant odors or to even completely remove the unpleasant odor without themselves having a notable olfactory-perfuming intensity or without themselves in the concentration to be used for the purposes of odor reduction having a notable olfactory-perfuming intensity. Such (active) substances could advantageously neutralize unpleasant odors, without simply masking the respective unpleasant odor by a particular characteristic odor. Use of such substances has or would have the advantage that for the scenting or perfuming of items, preparations or products with unpleasant odors by way of example perfume oils of any fragrance can be used. In this way the consumer can be offered a significantly broader choice of scent types.
The literature contains numerous proposals for combating unpleasant odors, as for example illustrated in the following.
In WO 01/43784 and U.S. Pat. No. 7,157,411 the use of certain esters, in particular isomenthyl esters such as isomenthyl acetate, as odor-neutralizing substances for reducing unpleasant odors of the most varied kinds is described.
Previous (olfactory) substances or (olfactory) substance mixtures, intended for olfactory enhancement of products, frequently provide an unsatisfactory olfactory reduction in unpleasant odors. The methods known in the prior art for reducing unpleasant odors frequently have the disadvantage that the (olfactory) substance or (olfactory) substance mixtures used have to be employed in considerable quantities, which can lead to cost and application problems.